What changed
Chinese Premier Li Qiang used the opening of the 140th China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou on October 14 to promise wider market access, more support for foreign companies, greater overseas investment by Chinese firms and continued backing for multilateral trade.
The fair, marking its 70th anniversary, now spans 1.55 million square metres and has attracted more than 300,000 buyers this year. Li said it has recorded $1.6 trillion in cumulative transactions with buyers from more than 220 countries and regions.
Why it matters
The speech presents China’s trade policy as an offer of scale: more room for foreign companies inside China, more opportunities for Chinese companies abroad, and stronger links between the two.
That means the next test is practical, not rhetorical. China says it will lower market-entry barriers, improve services for businesses and release more domestic demand. Li said consumption is expected to grow by about 10 trillion yuan over the next five years, while imports rose 22.3% in the first three quarters.
My reading is that Beijing is trying to make its enormous market part of the argument for keeping trade channels open. The promise will matter only if it produces clearer access and usable opportunities for companies, rather than another broad statement without sector-specific measures or an implementation timetable.
China also plans to host the ninth China International Import Expo in Shanghai next month and says it will support Chinese firms investing overseas, including through technology cooperation and more local operations. The direction is clear: deepen commercial ties while defending the multilateral trading system. The hard question is how much of that direction becomes policy that businesses can actually use.
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